Combination wagon and sled.



N. H. GHALFANT.

COMBINATION WAGON AND SLED.

APPLIOATION FILED r1112. 7. 1907.

PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

11301. T /,.T" I

II n IHHH 7% f:

' WITNESSES:

& a maa. .TZ ZZZQM, 1 m :4. k

ATTORNEY PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907.

2 SEEMS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR Nazi JC- cfiagfamt,

N. H. GHALFANT. COMBINATION WAGON AND SLED.

APPLICATION rum) rm; '1 1907 wnwsssss: Y 8 g, Q. a 7

A TTORNE Y 0., WASHINGTON, n. c

NOAH H. GHALFANT, OF MUNGIE, INDIANA.

COMBINATION WAGON AND SLED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed February 7, 1907. Serial No. 356,150.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NOAH H. GHALFANT, of Muncie, in the county ofDelaware and State of Indiana, have invented a new and usefulCombination Wagon and Sled, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a new and useful vehicle thatmay be of utility either as a wagon or as a sled.

In those parts of the country where the winter season is comparativelyshort and the surface of the earth is in condition for use for theoperation of sleds only a comparatively short time of each year, manypersons are deterred from having the use of a sled for the reason thatthe season being very short it appears undesirable that the investmentfor a sled be made, or that storage and-care be provided for a sledwhich would necessarily be of use only a short portion of the year.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a combined wagon and sledwhich will be substantial and compact in structure, neat in appearanceand proportions, and which will have all of the functions and requisitesof a wagon, and at the same time, by slight manipulation thereof, may beconverted into a sled which will be wholly practicable and useful.

Other purposes and objects of my invention are to provide such detailsof construction, conformation and arrangement of parts that theconversion of the device from its form of use as a wagon, to that of asled, or vice versa, may be accomplished by any person exerting only themost ordinary skill, and without the use of tools or appliances of anykind; and that the device may be durable, of few parts, economical ofmanufacture and not liable to get out of repair or adjustment.

These objects are accomplished by the ingeniously constructed device andthe novel combination and arrangement of parts described in thisspecification, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the ac-'companying drawings.

1n the drawings Figure 1 is a. side view of my newly invented combinedwagon and sled complete, the

wheels of one side thereof having been removed, and the main portion ofthe tongue having been broken away. Fig. 2 is a bottom view, and Fig. 3is a trans verse sectional view taken on the line 33 Fig. 1, of thedevice complete. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the runners inposition as secured to the floor of the device, the main portion of thelatter being broken away. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the deviceconverted intoa sled. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the front and Fig.7, of the rear running gear, the wheels thereof having beenremoved. Fig.8 is a detached perspective view of the lock-bar, and Fig. 9 is aperspective view of a modified form of a wagonbed.

My invention is shown as embodied in a device of proportions suitablefor use as a toy vehicle for chil dren, either as a pleasure deviceexclusively, or for.

the hauling of light loads, and is preferably made in lengthsof thirtyto forty eight inches.

Similar characters of reference refer to corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

1 designates the floor, made of wood of suitable quality and thicknessand stiffened transversely by the battens 2 secured thereon; thesebattens may be dispensed with where the floor is made of layers of woodextending lengthwise and transversely and glued together.

Disposed longitudinally along and a proper distance within the lateraledges of the floor are the runners 3, metallic, and of such size incross section that they will be rigid and substantial. These runnershave their ends turned inwardly from the edges of the floor and arecountersunk in the floor and secured thereto by screws, as shown in Fig.4. The diagonally disposed brace-bars 4 are provided so as to brace andfirmly sustain the body-portions of the runners in proper position, andare firmly secured in place by suitable screws. The side-boards 5 arealso made of wood of suitable thickness and are recessed in their outerfaces to such depth and contour, that when placed in position they willengage the runners and thus be easily and firmly adjusted and retainedin correct longitudinal position. The inner faces of the side-boards mayeither be channeled vertically, or may be provided with verticallydisposed cleats at their ends to receive the transverse end-gates 6which complete the structure of the bed-portion of the wagon. By thisconstruction is obtained a wagon-bed and floor, which, with or withoutthe side-boards and ends, will be of utility either as a juvenilepleasure device exclusivly, or for the hauling of small objects.

A modified form of box-bed is shown at Fig. 9, made of sheet metal andintended for use where it is desired to dispense with the placing inposition of the endgates. Each of the sides 7 is made of a metal platebent upon itself so that the runner may be snugly inclosed and theenlargement 8 will snugly inclose the brace-bar 4. The ends of theplates of the sides 7 are pressed together, and the two sides are thenconnected the proper distance apart by the ends 9 made of platesangularly bent at their ends and riveted to the sides.

The front axle-tree 10 and the rear axle-tree 11 are three legs, twoextending forwardly and one rearwardly the ends of each being bent andformed in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter described. 26 desighates a pair of suitable bars secured on the front of the axle 10, theirends being brought together and secured on the opposite sides of the endof the tongue 27.

Rigidly secured to the axle-tree 11 by rivets, and spaced a properdistance apart, are the rear-standards, formed with forwardly andrearwardly extending legs. The forward legs of these rear-standards, aswell as the forward-legs of the main-standard, are bent at a properangle whereby the feet 15 are formed, and are then terminated with thetongues 16 of width less than the feet, bent upwardly and thencehorizontally, as plainly shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. The rearward legsof the rear-standard as well as the rearward leg of the mainstandard,are bent at their ends at the proper angle and enlarged in width wherebythe feet 17 are formed, having therein the transverse slots 18 also theslots 19 in these legs a suitable distance from the feet, are provided.In Fig. 8 is shown the lock-bar, one being provided to apply to each ofthe rearward legs. These lock-bars consist each of a bar of metalsubstantially the same thickness as that of the legs, provided with thefoot 20 and the tongue 21 identical in form with the feet 15 and thetongues 16 except that the vertical portion of the tongue is longer thanthe corresponding portion of the tongue 16. The other end of thelock-bar is of diminished width and has the nose 22 with the perforation23 therein; the length of the lock-bar is such that when the foot 20 isin contact with the foot 17 the nose 22 will pass through the slot 19.Attached to the lock-bars by a light but substantial chain are thecotters 23.

Rigidly secured to the bottom of the floor, at predeterniined suitablepositions, so as to receive and afford a substantial connection andbearing for 'the feet of the main-standard and the rear-standards arethe front and rear sets of shoe-plates 24 and 25 respectively, metallic,and of suitably neat outline. These shoe-plates are provided withtransverse slots therein and are so countersunk and fitted in positionthat the surface line of the floor where the same are secured is notdisturbed. Underneath the slot of these shoe plates a recess in the bodyof the floor is provided so that the tongues 16 and 21 may be freelypassed through and may reside beneath the plates.

From the foregoing description of the construction of my novel device,the operation and use of the same will be readily understood.

To assemble my device the floor 1 having the runners secured thereto asheretofore described, is inverted and the main-standard andrear-standards having the front and rear shafts and wheels securedthereto, are placed in position with the tongues 16 inserted in theshoeplates 24 and the feet 15 and 17 resting on the shoeplates 24 and 25respectively, the lock-bars are then placed in position by inserting thetongues 21 through the feet of the rear legs of the main-standard and ofthe rear-standards, and through the shoe-plates 25, the lockbars arethen brought down in contact with the legs and the noses 22 passedthrough the slots 19 and the cotters then passed through the perforationin the noses, bent into secure position, and the running-gears completehave been secured to the floor of the device in readiness for use; thedevice is then inverted so as to rest upon its are removed from thenoses of the lock-bars and the entire running gears are easily andquickly removed; then the device presents the appearance shown in Fig. 5and performs the functions of a sled exclusively. As shown in Fig. 5,the forward end of the floor is extended in a graceful curve andprovided with a suitable aperture wherein a rope for drawing the sledmay be inserted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is

1. A combination wagon and sled, comprising a floor, standards below thefloor having secured thereto axle-trees with wheels journaled thereon,the said standards being, detachably secured to the floor, a pair ofoppositely disposed runners secured to the top of the floor near itslateral edges, side-boards removably retained against and havingrecesses in their outer faces to engage the inner faces of the runners,and transverse removable end-gates extending across the floor andretaining the side-boards apart and in engagement with the said runners,substantially as described.

2. A device of the kind described, comprising a floor, a pair ofoppositely disposed runners secured to the top of the floor near itslateral edges, a main-standard below the forward portion of the floorhaving rotatably secured thereto an axle-tree with wheels journaledthereon; a pair of rear-standards below the rear portion of the floorhaving rigidly secured thereto an axle-tree with wheels journaledthereon, devices secured to the floor to engage the feet of saidmain-standard and the read-standards, and devices to detachably connectto and secure said standards to said floor, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a floor, a pairof oppositely disposed runners secured to the top of the floor near itslateral edges, a series of slotted shoe-plates 24 and 25 secured to thebottom of the floor at predetermined locations over recesses providedthereat, a main-standard including a disk-shaped body having two forwardlegs and a rearward leg branching therefrom, an axle-tree with wheelsjournaled thereon rotatably secured to the said main-standard, rearstandards including a pair of plates forming two forward and tworearward legs, an axle-tree with wheels journaled thereon being rigidlysecured to the said rear-standards, the forward legs of themain-standard and of the rear-standards being bent at their ends at aproper angle thence abruptly reduced in width and terminated withtongues bent upwardly and thence horizontally to engage the said shoeplates 24, and the rearward legs of the main-standard and of therear-standards being bent at their ends at a proper angle and enlargedin width and provided with a transverse slot 18 to register with theslots of the shoe-plates 25, and also a slot 19 being provided in thesaid rearward legs, devices to detachably connect to and retain the saidrearward legs in engagement with the shoe-plates 25, sub stantially asdescribed.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a floor, -apair of oppositely disposed runners secured to the top of the floor nearits lateral edges, a series of slotted shoe-plates 24; and 25 secured tothe bottom of the floor at predetermined locations over recessesprovided thereat, a main-standard includPng a disk-shaped body havingtwo forward legs and a rearward leg branching therefrom, an axle-treewith wheels journaled thereon rotatably secured to the saidmain-standard, rear-standards including a pair of plates forming twoforward and rearward legs, an axle-tree with wheels journaled thereonbeing rigidly secured to the said rear-standards, the forward legs ofthe main-standard and of the rear-standards being bent at their ends ata proper angle thence abruptly reduced in width and terminated withtongues bent up wardly and thence horizontally to engage the saidshoeplates 24, and the rearward legs of the mainstandarcl and of therear-standards being bent at their ends at a proper angle and enlargedin width and provided with a transverse slot 18 to register with theslots of the shoe-plates 25, and also a slot 19 being provided in thesaid rearward 1O legs, lock-bars to detaehably connect to and retain therearward legs in engagement with the slotted plates 25, consisting of abar having the foot 20, the tongue 21, the nose 22 with transverseperforation therein, and the cotters 23, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my 15 name in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

NOAH I-I. CHALFANT. Witnesses ARTHUR F. RUNYAN, JOHN W. JoNns.

